Annette Hayden Havre Daily News ahayden@havredailynews.com
Fall is in the air and the community is again bustling with plans for hometown festivals, football games, fundraising galas and a banquet of other annual traditions Hi-Liners look forward to as the air turns crisp. But there is even more going on behind the scenes as holiday hosts prepare for the first snow fall and the gatherings to follow, including one especially enchanting event preparing to make its Christmastime premier. For the first year ever on the northern plain, Havreites and their neighbors will be treated to the Festival of Trees, courtesy of Boys & Girls of the Hi-Line. "The new event will take place on the evening of Dec. 6 at the Great Northern Fairgrounds Community Building," said Festival of Trees Committee Chair Barb Fournier. "It will be a major fundraiser for our Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, which is busting at the seams with children enjoying a positive place for kids. We expect the festival will be so much fun for the community that it will become a treasured holiday tradition, like it has for years now in Lewistown, where the Boys & Girls Club festival has been growing every year. In fact, we are very lucky to have our own Linda Johnson on the festival board of directors. During her time in Lewistown, before coming home to Havre, Linda worked on the Festival of Trees there. She knows all the ins and outs." Christmas wonderland To get an idea of what the Festival of Trees is like, imagine stepping through crunchy, white snow under the twinkling stars of winter’s Big Sky. You hurry a bit down the chilly path and throw open the Community Building doors. Surprise fills you at the scene like a five-year-old’s Christmas morning dreams. Hundreds of community folks dressed in their holiday best are there to greet you, as they mingle around white linen tables decked with holiday glass, boughs and ribbon. Then you enter and realize that the glittering room is only a frame because the most amazingly decorated Christmas trees are set center stage. All of the Festival of Trees creations come from the imagination and generosity of local businesses, individuals and organizations and they are donated to the festival for live auction, Johnson said. Over the years she said she has seen an array of festival trees from those beautifully decorated with ornaments to others completely covered with toys and games, candy and teddy bears, and one with Precious Moments figurines. One tree was decorated all in train models and collectibles, with a train running on a track underneath. There was a Barbie Doll tree, a garden club tree, a sporting goods tree, a fishing tree including a guided trip, and one business created an airplane tree complete with model airplanes, airline tickets and an antique propellor. Other trees held gift certificates, vacations, clothing and jewelry among their twinkling lights anything that might represent the business or the idea they had in mind. And, she said, the Lewistown festival just kept getting bigger every year. At this first year’s festival in Havre, guests will be treated to beverages, live music and hors d'oeuvre, while they preview the trees and other holiday wares set out for the silent auction. "We will have a cocktail hour from 6 to 7 p.m. then musical entertainment by Choral Fusion led by Frank Payn," Fournier said. "The food will be catered and we will have both a silent auction of handmade and donated items and then the live auction of the trees. A dance will follow with music by the Ray Miller Band. "For our first festival we decided to start out with 10 trees," she added. "And local businesses have very graciously agreed To help us." Locals creating holiday surprises The Festival of Trees live auction trophies, this year, will include creations by Northern Home Essentials, Barkus Home Center, The Petal Pusher with Pat Matthew and Waddell & Reed, Herbergers, Pizza Pro, JM Donavan Designs in Fine Jewelry, Northern Montana Hospital, First Presbyterian Church, Kmart and Ben Franklin. In the months to come, each will reveal their creations with information and photographs featuring their donations in the Havre Daily News. As the festival draws near, each will also display their tree at their business or another location and the Havre Daily News will publish a map of locations for the public to use in viewing. "We have designer guidelines that each business is following," Fournier said. "All greenery must be artificial; decorations must be secured to the tree, wreath or swag and sections must be wired securely for moving and transporting the trees; All of the trees will have UL approved lights; and nothing will be perishable. "The businesses are paying for everything it takes to decorate their tree and they all deserve our appreciation," she added. Funds raised at the Festival of Trees will directly benefit the continued operation of the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, which is now providing a healthy, caring and adventurous environment for a large portion of Havre’s children. Trees to benefit Club growth "Over the past six years, the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line has experienced tremendous growth," said Krista Solomon, executive director of the HELP Committee and Boys & Girls Clubs of the Hi-Line, in August. "In 2002, we served 70 kids a day and had a total membership of 200. We are now serving over 200 kids per day with an annual active membership exceeding 700." The Club, on Sept. 4, registered its 2,000th member, 9-year-old Walter White who recently moved to Havre from Great Falls. To handle the rapid growth, the Club has had to triple its staff and have devoted considerable energy to fundraising. "For six years we have been able to primarily fund the Club through various state and federal grants," Solomon said. "However, we are at a turning point in that grants are not forever. We are nearing the end of our eligibility with several agencies and, in fact, over the next year will experience a decline of $135,000 due to retiring grants that were used to support club operations." The Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line’s Board of Directors is launching an endowment campaign with the goal of permanently endowing at least 75 percent of the clubs operating budget. "We will continue to fund the remainder by applying to foundations and granting agencies, and through hosting special events, assessing membership fees, and soliciting parent and community contributions through our Back-A-Kid program," Solomon said. "We are dedicated to insuring that the club will be able to remain open for kids in perpetuity. "An anonymous local donor has lead the way by contributing over $100,000 in gifts directed towards our endowment fund," she added. "And this December, the Board of Directors will kick-off the endowment drive which will be titled Campaign for Kids when they host our 1st Annual Festival of Trees." Sponsors welcome An important facet of the Festival of Trees event will include community sponsorships. "Sponsorships, both personal and corporate are fundamental to the success of the Festival of Trees event benefiting the Boys & Girls Club," Fournier said. "This entire major fundraising event for the Club is volunteer driven, which makes it very special to the community. We have designed sponsorships in three levels, including a Golden Angel, Silver Bell and Red Santa sponsors. These three levels offer an opportunity for more people to get involved, each at a level they feel appropriate." Golden Angel sponsors donate $750 and receive event tickets and a private table reserved for a party of eight during the Festival of Trees evening; a representative who will "dazzle guests with a message at the event," Fournier said, along with their names prominently displayed during the evening; and Festival of Trees promotional items, such as special guest invitations, pre-event save the date cards, posters, recognition in the program and a thank you to the sponsor’s guests. Silver Bell sponsors donate $400 or more and receive event tickets and table seating reservations for four; sponsor names prominently displayed; and Festival of trees promotional items. Red Santa sponsors are those who donate $250 or more. They receive event tickets and table seating reservations for two; their sponsor name prominently displayed to reflect their commitment to the community; and promotional items. For more information about the Festival of Trees or Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, call Barb Fournier at 265-6627, Linda Johnson at 262-7192 or Krista Solomon at 265-6206. Other Festival of Trees coordinators include, Carol Chandler at 265-6627, Rosalie Sather at 265-6792 ext. 105, Susan Somers at 265-2229, Mary Jane Borlaug at 265-8773, Dave Rhines at 265-2737 and Pam Hillery at 265-4455
